Building a wildlife pond - Part 4

Once you have added underlay protection to your pond and bought your pond liner you are ready for the last steps. A flexible liner is a popular choice for several reasons: it’s easier to transport since it comes folded in a box; it’s easier to install, it also allows you complete freedom of choice as far as the pond shape and depth is concerned.

9. Position the liner over the hole.
Lay the liner across the hole. Handle it gently and only tread on it with soft-soled shoes or bare feet. Weigh down the edges with enough rock to hold the liner in place, but not so much as to stop it from folding in to the pond as the liner fills with water.

The most awkward job of the whole project. The small liner was 0.5 meters too small by my calculations and I couldn’t take the chance. I had to go for the medium one which left lots of spare and much more cumbersome to move and arrange. (Cam C902)

Try and adjust the liner as you go. Tricky, very tricky (cam C902)

10. Start filling the pond liner.
As the water level rises the weight of the water will pull the liner into the contours of the hole. Adjust the rocks as required around the edge to allow this to happen.

You can cut off any excess liner once the pond is completely full but don’t do an exact trim until all your edging material is laid. Remember you can trim any excess underlay material at this stage.

Trim the edges to something more manageable. Cam C902)

11. Lay your edging material.
Depending on what you are using for the edge of the pond this will either be number 11 or 12 on the job list. I was using rocks from around the garden and wanted them to lay on top of the liner with the liner folded up behind the rock so that I could fill the pond further to allow the rocks sit in the water. (If you are finishing off with turf or paving slabs then when the pond is full trim the liner and bury the edges in a trench filled with soil and cover with turf or paving slabs).

12. Trim off excess liner when the pond is full.
Once I was happy with the placement of all the rocks I gave the liner a final close trim.

13. Stock the pond with oxygenating plants.
Give your pond a day or two for the chlorine in the water to dissipate and then add your oxygenating plants.

Final jobs consisted of planting the submerged plants and marshy type plants. Arranging the rocks so that there are a few entrance and exits for any frogs or other wildlife. (Cam C902)

This visitor has come of his own accord, hope he is checking the pond out with a view to moving in. (Cam C902)

And that’s about it… don’t worry about the wildlife, it will find its own way to your pond. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy.

And here is my pond three or four months old, it looks quite established now. (Cam C902)

That was lucky, your friend thinning out his plants (it's called recycling:)) We've a small pond but I think it's got a leak as the water keeps disappearing (unless it's been raining) so we're thinking of maybe digging it out and putting a new one in, maybe before the end of the summer. I've read all your 4 blogs on your pond and found them very interesting.

I know what you mean Sean, our little pond's been there about 15 years, all the plants around it are mature and well settled. It'll mean digging the whole lot out and starting from stratch but I think it'll be worth it. Even when there's little or no water in it, the frogs are there, sitting in the mud, so I think we're going to go ahead and replace it, if only for the frogs!